https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/30/17301392/t-mobile-sprint-merger-preview-phone-carrier >After two earlier attempts failed to materialize, T-Mobile and Sprint announced on Sunday that they’ve reached a $26.5 billion merger agreement. If approved, it would combine the third and fourth largest carriers in the United States. The new business would instantly become a much more formidable rival to Verizon and AT&T. Both companies claim that a successful merger would make the United States a leader in the formative early years of 5G mobile networks. But there are very legitimate concerns that shrinking the field of wireless competitors could end up hurting consumers and raising prices. >The deal must be cleared by regulators, including both the Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department, which is no small hurdle. FCC chairman Ajit Pai seems open to the idea, but many of the antitrust staffers at the DOJ today were the same people who convinced these two companies to abandon merger talks in 2014.